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Tag: shorts

Mmm – a nice breezy pair of linen sketchbook shorts. I don’t think I’ve made the shorts on this pattern before, although I’ve made the shirt a couple of times. Overall, a very quick sew.

Pattern: Oliver+S Sketchbook Shorts (Warning, if you have a “first edition” paper pattern, be sure to check the errata as there are many.) I’m sure the PDF version available now has ironed all this out.Fabric: Linen of unknown origin – from stash; probably $12/yard I’m guessing?Time: 2 hours all in.Size: I made a size 4 but added some length for my almost 5-year old, mainly because I have not yet traced the next size up.

I’m having my 15 minutes of Fame on the Internet! I’m featured over on the SewLisette blog wearing the Souvenir shorts I made a couple of weeks ago!

They do a feature on Fridays where they show people wearing versions of the clothes they’ve made. I’m trying to burn through my stash right now rather than buy new fabric, so I have to dig out the pieces I have which would be big enough to make a dress for myself. I’m dying to make the Souvenir blouse too, or maybe even the whole dress. The other one I want to do is the Diplomat. I have a muslin done for that, but it needs a few adjustments. After I’ve done my Kids’ Clothes Week Challenge I definitely need to do some summer sewing for myself.

Is it obvious I am a little bit excited about the possibility of a warm weather trip in my future?

These are the Lisette Souvenir shorts made out of some Denyse Schmidt Home Dec fabric that I picked up on Etsy. I did a tissue fitting, so I didn’t make a muslin. My only thinking is that if I made them again I would narrow the waistband slightly at the back, as I seem to have that issue with some of the Simplicity patterns. I swear I will make a muslin next time! I promise! (I hear the ghost of Liesl Gibson in my head with that, because that was one thing she really emphasised at the sewing workshop… I’m finally sold and have some super-cheap $1/yard muslin on order…)

It was also my first ever invisible zipper, and I won’t lie – it’s not that invisible. But now (after much seam-ripping) I know how to do it, so I’m sure it will be better next time. I should add that the pattern doesn’t call for one, so if you use one, make sure to install it before you add the waistband facing, as the instructions are for a regular zipper. I used the explanation in the Vogue sewing book, which I was inspired to buy after reading Gertie‘s sewing blog obsessively recently. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find the vintage Vogue book her blog centres around, so I made do with the revised one. I really can’t say enough about useful it is, as a novice, to have a reference book to refer to as you are making clothes. This book is going to be pretty indispensable I think.

They were super-duper easy and I plan to be wearing them all summer! I suspect there are more in my future. Also, I can’t believe I paid $40 for shorts at Banana Republic a few weeks ago… these ones are just as cute, and took only about an hour to sew up. Oh well, at least I didn’t pay $400, like this pair!

Oh, and the funniest thing was when I came out to “model” them to DH, P looks up and says, “Wow! Cute!”